In just a few weeks my super sweet friend Jessica, from My Baking Heart, will be tying the knot with her fiance, Chris. She’s obviously a smart girl, because October is THE best time to get married. 🙂 To honor the beautiful bride-to-be, our friend Nikki, from Pennies on a Platter, organized a virtual bridal shower, and I couldn’t be more excited to participate!

(How ridiculously cute is this couple?! Click the picture to see even more of their unique engagement photo shoot)

Jessica is a Southern Belle and one of the most genuinely sweet ladies out there! One thing I really love about her is that she is just as passionate about cooking and baking as she is about football at her alma mater, TCU (Texas Christian University). When deciding what to make for her shower I wanted to tie together all of my favorite things about her! Something sweet, dainty, and, of course, purple!

The mini-cakes I decided on are like a cross between petit fours and Little Debbie zebra cakes. I decided to coat them with white chocolate ganache instead of poured fondant because…well, it just tastes better (and reminds me of zebra cakes, an old childhood lunch favorite!). I won’t promise you that the white chocolate was much less work than poured fondant, but the taste was worth it in the end.

Congratulations, Jessica!! I am so happy for you and wish you a lifetime of happiness! To see what other bloggers made for this special occasion check out the round-up on Nikki and Jessica’s blogs!

In a liquid measuring cup, stir together vanilla extract and milk, set aside. In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a another mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Alternate adding the dry ingredients in 3 increments and the wet ingredients in 2 increments (starting and ending with dry ingredients), mix until combined.

Pour batter in to prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from the edges of the pan. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then flip out to cool the rest of the way.

*I used a 9×13 pan because that is largest size that will fit in my oven. The cakes were about 3/4 of an inch once baked, and little over 2 inches total when stacked and filled. Using a 9×13 pan and a biscuit size cutter, I was able to make 6 stacked cakes. I think thinner cake and smaller cookie cutters could yield more than a dozen.

Directions
In a saucepan, whisk together the flour and milk and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens (I would compare it to mashed potatoes). It is very important to whisk continuously so clumps don’t form. This took me about 4-5 minutes, but it’s best to go by texture.

Set milk mixture aside in an ice bath and allow to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, (or bowl of a standing mixture fitted with a whisk) beat together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat on high for 3-5 minutes. If it looks separated, keep beating.

Directions
Place white chocolate and butter in a glass or metal mixing bowl. Set Aside. In a small sauce pan, scald cream (cook until boiling). Pour the hot cream over the chopped white chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Gently stir the white chocolate and cream together with a whisk until smooth. To color, be sure to use gel food coloring.

To Assemble Cakes

Once the cake is completely cool, use a cookie cutter to cut cakes into desired shape. Pipe filling onto half of the cakes. Place another cake on top of the piped filling. Place cakes on a wire cooling rack. Pour chocolate ganache over the cakes and allow to drizzle over the edges. Use a spatula or spoon to smooth around tops and sides of cake. It may take more than one pass to completely coat. If needed, place cakes in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden, then add the second round of chocolate and smooth. After the final coat, allow to chill in the fridge again to help harden the shell.

Since moving to China we have been blown away by the kindness and hospitality we have been shown. In the short time that we have lived here, we feel like we have made many life-long friends. Now that we are settled into our apartment, we wanted to have our new friends over to celebrate good friendship and our new home. An East meets West celebration.

My idea for the party was to create a fusion of American/Western dishes and Chinese/Eastern dishes. I supplied all of the Western dishes and, with the help of a friend, two of the Chinese dishes. I was also delighted when guests offered to bring traditional dishes. Here’s what we came up with! Full menu listed below the photos!

The Food

The party

The guests – minus the two people who snuck past my camera!

Guests filling up their plates!

Happy to have been a part of his first chocolate chip cookie

Jesse being shown how to open the traditional Dragon Boat Festival dumpling – 粽子

We landed back in San Diego late last night and I’m hoping that now that our holiday travels are coming to a close, I can get back to blogging a regular basis. More importantly I hope that I can get back in the kitchen and spend some quality time with my cutting board, skillet, and stove. 🙂

While we were in Ohio I really only had one chance to get in the kitchen and cook. I made these buffalo chicken bites for my dad’s family Christmas Eve party. I was lucky to get one decent picture before my dad swooped in and started stealing them, and they were totally gone not long after his first stolen bite.

With New Years Eve coming up and playoff/Super Bowl parties, you might find yourself looking for an appetizer, and I HIGHLY recommend these. Spicy and creamy on the inside, crispy on the outside. Also easy to grab, dunk, and eat while socializing or watching a football game. Win, win, win. And if you still need convincing, these can be made ahead of time and frozen or kept in the fridge.

DirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl stir together the cream cheese, hot sauce, and ranch (or bleu cheese). Add the chicken, cheddar cheese, and green onions, stir to combine. For larger bites, use a medium cookie scoop to create even portions. For smaller bites roll 1 heaping tablespoon into a ball. Place the rounded portions on a cookie sheet. For easier coating, refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Place the flour, egg, and crushed corn flakes in three separate bowls. Roll each ball in the flour*, shake off any excess flour and dip in the egg, then roll the ball in the cornflake crumbs until evenly coated. Place back on the cookie sheet.

The coated balls can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen for later. To freeze, place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet and place in a freezer bag for storage. When ready to use them, place the frozen balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

* I TOTALLY forgot to roll mine in the flour, they still came out just fine. The purpose of the flour is to help the corn flake coating adhere a little better. It’s your call to use the flour or to omit.

I don’t think anyone will be more excited about this post than my dad. You see, last year, while I was living with my parents waiting to move to California, I made these pretzels to take to a friends house for some serious football watching. My dad had been telling me he wanted to learn how to bake bread and when he saw (and tasted) these he immediately said, “When can you teach me how to make these?!” I think he managed to wait 2 days before demanding to give them a try. Since that day he mentions “making pretzels” anytime we talk about food or cooking (which if you know me, you know happens often). And I know he was jealous when my sister and I told him we made them for Bayday during her visit.

When I taught my dad, I twisted the pretzels into sticks, but for Bayday Emilie and I cut them into bite size pieces that are perfect for snacking. I don’t know if that was a good idea or bad idea. These pretzels are already addicting, but when you can just pop one in your mouth any time you think about/see/smell them, you’re in trouble. They’re just that good. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!! (And as a bonus I’m including my recipe for Super Easy Beer Cheese, a-maz-ing with the preztels)

In a measuring cup dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Set aside. (Mixture should become foamy, if it doesn’t your yeast may be bad or your water too hot)

In the bowl of a standing mixture fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugars, and salt on low speed. Turn off the mixer and pour the water/yeast mixture and melted butter into the bowl. Turn the mixer on and knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is smooth. If the dough is too dry you can add extra water, a tablespoon at a time.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball. Place the dough ball in the bowl, cover with a clean towel, and allow to rise for one hour (*or until double in size).

Towards the end of rising, preheat oven to 450 degrees and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper and cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the hot water and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and melted butter.

After the dough has risen, punch down the dough and then knead with hands for one minute. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide dough into 12 even portions. Now you can pick your shape. For pretzel bites roll each portion into a snake then cut the snake into bite size pieces, about 1 1/2 inches in width.

Dip the pieces in the baking soda water and place on the baking sheet (sometimes I dab the pretzels with a paper towel if they seem too wet). Brush each pretzel bite with egg whites/melted butter then sprinkle with kosher salt.

Microwave cream cheese for 30-45 seconds until very soft. Stir in the beer, horseradish, and garlic powder. Microwave again for 30-45 seconds. Add the grated cheese and stir until smooth, microwaving again if necessary.

Hi! I’m Jessica. I love cooking, baking, eating, and talking about food. My goal is to make cooking and baking, even from scratch, seem approachable. If I can give just one person the boost they need to try something new in the kitchen, I’ll be happy.